Ashes of War
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: The future is filled with endless possibilities. Endless relays. Endless...endings? And unfortunate ending turns into the ultimate beginning for our hero as he sets out for the stars to reclaim his destiny. Narutoxharem! Mass Effect crossover! EPICNESS!


**A/N: Less than two weeks now until Mass Effect 3 comes out! Hallelujiah! I've been waiting all month and I've even got the thing on preorder! Ahem. Okay. Fanboy moment over. Consider this a little present to those of you who are both Naruto and Mass Effect fans in equal measure. I hope you enjoy it!**

_I exist...therefore I am._

_~Namikaze Naruto._

**Cerberus**

The Illusive man was seated in front of an oval portal that looked out onto the frozen wastes of a planet in the Crescent Nebula. He could see the ruins of an abandoned mining operation in the foreground and a line of jagged peaks in the distance. It was a miserable place, but one that would ensure his privacy, which was very important to him.

It was his privacy and his love of seclusion that allowed Cerberus to exist, after all. Without Cerberus, without him, who would be there to champion the greater cause of mankind into the future? Certainly not the asari and the other people of this realm. Cerberus was a necessary evil, one needed to make and take humanity into the next era. Without it, humanity was doomed.

Experiments that his race deemed diabolical and genocidal would one day serve the needs of all mankind. Would he hailed as a hero? Or denounced as a villain? The Illusive man didn't much care. All that mattered to him, was humanity's continued existence and prosperity. That was all that mattered. If he'd be branded a traitor and a coward and fool, than it was the price he'd have to pay.

One he'd gladly pay, if he meant the survival of his race in the times to come.

A tone sounded, and a female voice said,

"Operative Kurama is here to see you, sir."

The Illusive man turned toward the door.

"Send him in."

The hatch hissed open and Kurama, his right hand man, appeared.

The operative had proved himself many times and was a very important part of the Cerberus operation. One might even say he was crucial to its continued wealth and prosperity. He had blond hair and blue eyes that harkened back to his japanese ancestry. But the shape of his face and the color of his skin, his whiskered cheeks, hinted at what might have been come Chinese DNA as well.

The guest chair sighed as he sat down.

"How are you, my friend?" The Illusive man permitted himself a small smile as he removed a silver cigarrete case from the surface of the metal desk. The head of Cerberus selected a cigarette, set fire to it, and took a deep drag. He liked the process, the taste, and the feel of nicotine entering his bloodstream. Words mingled with smoke. "Has earth been treating you well?"

He said nothing; because he'd been trained to say nothing. To not speak unless otherwise spoken to. Years of regimented training instilling a rigid sense of obedience where his superior was concerned. Now, he permitted himself a smile of his own, a gorgeous white streak in the darkness. Kurama grinned; and it was the grin of a man who'd just experienced a lifetime of pleasure in a single evening.

"They missed me." He said these words as though they explained everything else, including his tardiness. Kurama was always tardy, an aspect of the life he'd left behind, the life he'd abandoned. Not entirely of course. The terms of their deal had been explicit; the man now known as Kurama would offer his services to Cerberus in exchange for safe passage and protection being brooked for himself and his fiances'.

Yes, plural. As in more than one. More than two, actually. Or three. It was a part of his charm, the Illusive man supposed. But the deal had been brokered and Kurama had been with the organization for nearly five years now. It had been a most profitable relationship for both Cerberus, and the entity known as the Kurama. He'd gone by a different name at the time of their meeting, but that was neither here nor there. They were here to discuss matters of the more direct than subtle nature, matters in which certain...talents were required.

Kurama's talents.

Kurama was a level four biotic, a hereito unheard of class with the potential to become even stronger. Perhaps it was the creature sealed inside him that gave him this power. A power, that, if replicated, if _duplicated _could truly serve humankind. Kurama's reaction to that suggestion had been..._unpleasant, _to say the least. Thankfully, the Illusive Man had no desire to broach the subject again. No, not in the slightest. Today, they had come together to discuss a certain commander and her recent acts against the Cerberus organization.

"Have you been in contact with Shepard, as of late?"

A grimace of self castigation.

"The commander and I have...parted ways, sir."

"She might be willing to forgive you, if you apologized." The Illusive Man pointed out. Sometimes the pen was mightier than the sword. Or in this case the rifle. He'd nearly lost his best operative that day. Cerberus would have truly suffered from it. But, whether by the mysterious machinations of fate or just dumb luck, Kurama still stood before him, contemplating the notion of apologizing, instead of lying dead, in the ground.

"Apologize?" The blond scoffed at the concept. "She won't even return my calls. What makes you think she'll want to meet with me?"

"Surely you can convince her."

"I find that hard to believe." Kurama sighed, steepling his fingers. "The last time I saw her, I was staring down the business end of a pistol." For the first time, the Illusive Man felt a trickle of anger. Commander Shepard had recently parted ways with Cerberus after discovering a plethora of experiments she was never meant to discover. That knowledge, in the wrong hands, could prove to be detrimental to Cerberus and its cause.

"Yes, you were." The Illusive Man agreed, as he flicked ash into a tray made of black onyx. "But you may recall that we were forced to leave several items behind as we left the space station.

He whisked a hand through his hair, the blond mess perfecting itself at t he touch of his fingertips. His smile had returned.

"And just what would you have me do about Ms...Shepard?"

There was a silence.

"I would like you to convince her of Cerberus's goals."

Kurama's eyebrows rose.

"By _convince,_ I take it you mean...

"You may use any means at your disposal." A pause. "I want it done, Kurama."

"I thought you'd sent Kai Leng after her?" Kurama casually tossed out the name of Cerberus's foremost assassin. "Wouldn't he be better suited toward a assignment such as this?"

"His talents are needed elsewhere."

A scowl.

"Alright then, let's make things clear, just for the record." Kurama held out a hand and begane to count off on his fingers. "You want me to seek out _the Commander Shepard, _the one woman who has stuck a gun in my mouth and bested me in biotics. And upon finding our _dear_ commander you want me to to convince her to forgive me, seduce her, and work an angle on getting her to rejoin Cerberus. And, if that doesn't work, I am to either threaten cajole, or otherwise kill all those she holds dear, until the threat to our organization is nullified."

The Illusive Man nodded.

Kurama groaned.

"Are you sure I'm the right man for this job?" He stole a glance out the viewport. "In case you've forgotten, the commander and I have...a history. She's just as likely to blow my brains out now as she is to forgive me for trying to kill her when she blew the base." A fond note entered his voice, and for the second time that day, the Illusive Man felt a pang of regret. Prior to issuing the kill order on Shepard, those two had been close. Serious. Intimate. They had even spoken of...

He ruthlessly suppressed it.

"You were acting on orders." His tone was cold; crisp, laced with an undercurrent of bitterness. It said: _Remember where your loyalties lie. Remember all that I have done for you. Remember what I've given, and what I can just as easily take away. _But in the end, the silent threat went unspoken. He knew to threaten this man was tantamount to suicide. Kurama, once angered, was not so easily placated. He saw the boy as a sort of foster son, as a progeny, an heir, more than anything else, but business came first.

"Will you do it?"

Kurama nodded.

"Be that as it may, this isn't going to be easy...

He trailed off, and the Illusive Man frowned.

_Here it comes._ The catch. Kurama wanted more. He always wanted more. Whether it was additonal protection for his beloved brides-to-be, or the Illusive man's guarantee that he would not interfere, it was always something.

Kurama gestured to his civilian attire.

"I'll need armor." He began. "Top of the line, of course. And weapons. The best that money can buy. And I'll need to go alone. You'll need to make it look like I no longer have any ties with Cerberus."

"And if I give you these things?"

_"If you give me a year."_ Naruto said suddenly, grinning. "I'll have her dancing in the palm of my hand."

"A year, then." The Illusive Man extended his hand.

"A year." Naruto repeated, shaking it vigorously.

And thus, it began.

**A/N: Oho! The plot thickens! How did Naruto come to find himself in the employ of Cerberus? Just how many brides-to-be does he have exactly? I will leave that to you, the reader, to decide and to vote on! Better watch out, Shepard!**

**R&R! =D**


End file.
